puffin | bird | Britannica.com Puffin Alternative Titles: bottlenose, sea parrot Related Topics Alcidae Puffin, also called bottlenose, or sea parrot, any of three species of diving birds that belong to the auk family , Alcidae (order Charadriiformes). They are distinguished by their large, brightly coloured, triangular beaks. Puffins nest in large colonies on seaside and island cliffs, usually laying only one egg, in a burrow dug one or two metres (three to six feet) deep. Hatched in about six weeks, the young bird fattens on fish , supplied by both parents. After about six weeks of feeding, the parent birds desert their young, which then waits alone until it becomes thin and its flightfeathers have grown, and then it flies out to sea by itself. Puffins eat a variety of marine organisms. They are able to catch as many as 10 small fish in succession and to carry them crosswise in the bill to the nest.

Common puffin (Fratercula arctica) Ben Goldstein/Root Resources The common, or Atlantic, puffin ( Fratercula arctica) occurs on Atlantic coasts from the Arctic south to Brittany and Maine . It is about 30 cm (12 inches) long, black above, white below, with gray face plumage, red-orange feet, a blue-gray, yellow, and red bill, and horny plates of skin around the beak and on the eyelids. The horned puffin (F. corniculata) is a Pacific relative of the Atlantic species. Of more southerly Pacific distribution is the tufted puffin (Lunda cirrhata), which is black with red legs and bill, a white face, and straw-coloured plumes curving backward from behind the eyes. Learn about the courtship rituals of the common, or Atlantic, puffin. Contunico © ZDF Enterprises GmbH, Mainz Learn More in these related articles: in charadriiform Puffin FAQs | Audubon Project Puffin Audubon Project Puffin 26 questions and answers about puffins. 1. HOW MANY SPECIES OF PUFFINS LIVE IN THE WORLD?

Puffins belong to the Alcidae (Auk) family of seabirds.There are 4 species of puffins. They are: puffin_group1_small.jpg a) Atlantic Puffin: The Atlantic Puffin (formerly Common Puffin) lives in the North Atlantic. It is the smallest of the puffins and is readily separated from the similar Horned Puffin by the steel-blue triangle at the base of its beak. Range: See question #3. horned_puffin.jpg b) Horned Puffin: The Horned Puffin looks similar to the Atlantic Puffin however it is easily distinguished by its mostly yellow bill with orange tip (missing blue/gray section towards base of bill). The Horned Puffin receives its name from the horny projections that extend above its eyes. Range: Breeds from northwestern Alaska south along coast to Alaska-British Columbia border. Winters far at sea south to waters off California. Irregular spring records from Washington, Oregon, and California. Also on northern coast of Asia.

tufted_puffins.jpg c) Tufted Puffin: The Tufted Puffin is the largest puffin and is characterized by long, straw-colored feathers extending back from its crown during the mating season. Range: Breeds from northwestern Alaska south along coast to central California. Winters at sea throughout North Pacific. Also on northern coast of Asia. rhinocerousauklet.jpg d) Rhinoceros Auklet: Although this Puffin differs noticeably in outward appearance from the other three species of puffin (which accounts for its misnaming), this sooty-brown bird is anatomically still a puffin. During the breeding season a pale knob projects upward from the base of the upper mandible giving a Rhinoceros-like appearance to its otherwise more narrow and shallower bill. This puffin usually comes to land at night. Range: Breeds sparingly on Aleutian Islands and more abundantly from Alaska Peninsula south along coast to central California, where its populations are increasing. Probably winters in inshore and offshore waters from breeding colonies south to southern California. Also on northern coast of Asia. 2. HOW MANY ATLANTIC PUFFINS ARE THERE IN THE WORLD?

Estimates range from 3 to 4 million pairs. 3. WHERE ARE ATLANTIC PUFFINS FOUND IN THE WORLD? Atlantic Puffins are found exclusively in the North Atlantic Ocean. In North America, they nest from Labrador to the Northeastern United States. In Europe, they nest south to the Brittany Coast of France, northwards to Iceland, Greenland, and Northern Russia. Most of the world’s puffins are found in Iceland, where sixty percent of the population breeds. 4. HOW DID PUFFINS GET THEIR NAME? The word puffin is thought to be derived from the word ‘puff’ which refers to swollen. And it is the puffin chick that contributes best to this name because of its round, puffed look resulting from its dense cover of down feathers - an adaptation for retaining body heat while the parent is off fishing. Indeed, they resemble little puff balls with beak and feet. Puffins have also been called "clown of the ocean" and "sea parrot" because of their clown-like facial markings and colorful beak (more like that of toucans). The puffin’s scientific name, Fratercula arctica dates back to the last half of the 1800's.

This name means "little brother of the north" in Latin. Little brother alludes to 'little friar' referring to the puffin's black and white plumage which is reminiscent of a friar's robes. A second connotation of little friar may be drawn from the puffin's sometime habit of holding it's feet together when taking off, suggestive of hands clasped together in prayer. 5. HOW BIG ARE PUFFINS? Puffins are usually 10 inches tall (18 cm), which is about the height of a quart jug of milk. The puffin weighs about 500 grams, similar to a can of soda. 6. WHAT DO PUFFINS EAT? Adult puffins mostly eat small fish, such as sand eels, herring, hake and capelin. Puffin diets vary from colony to colony because of the variety of fish around the breeding islands. During winter puffins may also eat crustaceans, but their preferred food is fish. The young puffins are usually fed fish by their parents. Parents carry fish in their bills and either drop them on the burrow floor or pass them to the chick. Parents usually feed the chick several times each day. 7.

HOW MANY FISH CAN A PUFFIN CARRY IN ITS BEAK AT ONE TIME? Puffins can carry several fish back to their nest at a time. The average catch is around 10 fish per trip but the record in Britain is a whopping 62 fish at once! The puffin’s beak is specialized to hold all these fish. The puffin’s raspy tongue holds fish against spines on the palate, while it opens its beak to catch more fish. 8. HOW LONG CAN A PUFFIN STAY UNDERWATER? A puffin can dive for up to a minute but most dives usually last 20 to 30 seconds. While underwater, the puffin swims by using its wings to push it along under the water almost as if it were flying, while using its feet as a rudder. flying_small_250pxw.jpg 9. HOW FAST CAN A PUFFIN FLY? A puffin can fly 48 to 55 mph (77 to 88 km/hr). The puffin beats its wings rapidly to achieve this speed reaching up to 400 beats a minute.

The wings can move so fast that they become a blur, giving a flying puffin the appearance of a black and white football. 10. HOW CAN YOU TELL A MALE FROM A FEMALE PUFFIN? Males are usually slightly larger than females, which is most noticeable only when a pair is standing together. 11. HOW OLD DO PUFFINS HAVE TO BE BEFORE THEY CAN REPRODUCE? Most puffins do not breed until they are 5 years old. The earliest a puffin may breed is at age 3 but this is only known from zoos. Puffins live a long time and use their pre-breeding years to learn about feeding places, choosing a mate and nest sites. 12. HOW DO PUFFINS DIG THEIR BURROWS AND HOW DEEP ARE THEY? Puffins dig their burrows using their bills and feet. They prefer to make their burrows in earth or between rocks on steep sea cliffs so predators cannot easily reach them. They use their bills to cut into soil and then shovel away loose material with their feet. They dig dog-like, shoveling dirt out behind themselves.

Most burrows are 2 to 3 feet long (70 to 110 cm), which is as long as the arm length of an adult human. At the back of the burrow the parents build a soft nest of feathers and grass where they incubate the egg. The burrows often have a toilet area at the first bend. The young chick uses this area as a bathroom so it doesn’t soil its feathers. As it matures, the toilet is moved closer to the burrow entrance, helping to keep the chick clean. If the chick became too soiled, it may damage it’s waterproofing, a fatal circumstance once the chick takes to sea. 13. HOW MANY EGGS DOES A PUFFIN LAY? Puffins lay 1 egg per year. They usually keep the same mate every season and use the same burrow as in previous years. The male and female share the duties of incubating the egg and rearing the chick. 14. HOW LONG CAN PUFFINS LIVE? Puffins often live 20 years or more. The oldest known puffin lived to be 36 years.

Maximum age is difficult to determine because while researchers are able to band birds, puffins abrade these bands by nesting among boulders as well as spending the majority of their lives in the open ocean, which causes leg bands to corrode over time. Both these mechanisms cause bands to become too worn to read. Note that Puffins sometimes have TWO bands on their legs. The one with the long string of numbers is issued by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and that number is unique to that individual bird. But, because the longer numbers are sometimes difficult to read in the field, Project Puffin creates a special "Field Readable Band" which is only used for Maine Coast Projects. This band has fewer letters and numbers, and can be easier to read by Project Puffin staff members observing birds through spotting scopes, and easier to see if the bird is captured on camera. 15. WHY DO PUFFINS HAVE COLORFUL BEAKS? During winter, the bills and feet of puffins fade to dull shades of their summer colors. Every spring their beaks and feet turn a colorful orange in preparation for the breeding season. The beaks and feet of puffins become brightly colored and the beak increases in size as the bird matures.

The size and color of puffin beaks may serve as badges of experience and help birds assess the ‘quality’ of potential mates. 16. HOW DO PUFFINS COMMUNICATE WITH BODY MOVEMENTS? Puffins use body movements to communicate in a variety of situations. In mating and courtship the puffins will pair up before they come onto the island from the ocean. Once they are on land, the pair may perform billing, a behavior where puffins rub their beaks together. This display often draws a crowd of puffins to share in the excitement. An aggressive encounter between two puffins often begins by gaping. This involves a puffin puffing up their body to look bigger and opening their wings and beak slightly. The wider the beak is opened the more upset the puffin. The puffin may also stomp its foot in place to show its displeasure. The bright colors of the feet and beak help illustrate these motions. If the aggressive encounter escalates into a full-scale brawl the puffins will lock beaks. They will then attempt to topple each other in a wrestling match by using their feet and wings in a flurry of action.

A fight may gather a crowd of 10 or more puffin spectators. The combatants may become so involved in the fight they end up rolling off their rocky perch. A puffin also communicates information in its manner of walking. If the puffin is walking rapidly with its head lowered it is saying, "I am just passing through and don’t mean any trouble." This is called a low profile walk and is useful because the colony is very crowded and a puffin is often crossing another puffin’s territory as it walks. The puffins that are guarding burrows usually assume a pelican walk position that has the puffin stand stiffly erect with its beak next to its body and using slow exaggerated foot movements. This makes the puffin look like a soldier on guard duty, which is just what it is doing by guarding the burrow. After a puffin lands it will assume a post-landing position. This is a site ownership display that serves as a mild threat to nearby puffins. This position consists of landing with one foot in front of the other foot, with wings outspread and head angled down. This is a sign of non-hostility that relieves tension when landing in a group of puffins.

It helps prevent puffins on land from chasing the ‘intruder’ from their favorite loafing ledge. This permits large numbers of puffins to congregate together, which has important social and predator defense benefits. 17. WHAT SOUND DOES A PUFFIN MAKE? Puffins make loud growling calls usually from underground which sounds like a muffled chainsaw. The chicks "peep" for food from parents. Choose a call from the list below to hear what a Puffin sounds like. swimming_small_250pxw.jpg 18. WHERE DO PUFFINS GO IN WINTER? Puffins breed in colonies from April to August and over-winter from August to early spring on the open ocean far from land. Puffins tend to disperse widely during this time and as a result it is difficult for scientists to learn about this aspect of their life. Puffins are wonderfully adapted to spend months at sea. They have waterproofed feathers, the ability to drink salt water and catch food. 19. HOW DO PUFFINS FIND THEIR WAY HOME? Puffin chicks leave a colony when they fledge and head off to the ocean without their parents.

They remain in the open ocean until they are 2-3 years old. Then they return to the vicinity of the colony where they hatched and may nest near the burrow where they hatched. Scientists are unsure how puffins find their way home and are still learning how birds migrate. The puffins may make a mental map of their birthplace and use this to return later. They may use stars, the earth’s magnetic field, sounds, smells and the visual cues of the ocean to help them make this map. While the ocean appears uniform to us, to seabirds it holds vast amounts of information we can’t sense. We still have much to learn from the migrations of seabirds. 20. WHAT ENEMIES DO PUFFINS HAVE? The greatest natural predator of the puffin is the Great Black-backed Gull. This gull can catch adult puffins in mid-air. The Great Black-backed Gull will circle high above a puffin colony and pick out a solitary puffin and catch it from behind by dive bombing the unwary puffin. Cleptoparasites are birds that steal a puffin’s food.

Herring gulls often wait for puffins returning from sea with a beakload of fish, pursue them and steal the fish. They also will pull puffin eggs or chicks from their nest. Puffins avoid cleptoparasites by dashing for the safety of the burrow entrance to deliver fish and to avoid gulls. Puffins often circle past their burrow a dozen times or more waiting for a chance to safely deliver food. Predators of puffins depend on the puffins as food to feed their own young. Although the sight of gulls eating a puffin is not pleasant, predation at large colonies does not hurt the puffin colony because the majority of the puffins survive. 21. WHAT EFFECT HAVE HUMANS HAD ON PUFFIN NUMBERS? Humans have had a very negative effect on puffins in the past. Today, there are threats on land and at sea. For example, over-fishing has caused a disaster for the colony on Rost Island in Norway. In recent years puffin parents have not caught enough fish to feed their chicks. Thousands of chicks have starved. This happened because people drastically depleted the herring stocks.

Over-hunting occurs when too many individuals of a particular species are killed and the remaining population is unable to replace losses. Over-hunting puffins for food and feathers caused the loss of puffins from several colonies in Maine such as Eastern Egg Rock. Mammals (such as fox and rats) introduced by humans, can be very destructive because the puffins do not have adaptations to avoid them. Puffins choose isolated islands to breed because there are no large predators on the ground to disturb their nesting. If humans introduce mammal predators to these islands, the puffins are very vulnerable and may no longer be able to use that island for breeding. Oil spilled by tankers and drilling operations can destroy the waterproofing on puffin’s feathers causing them to die of exposure to cold temperatures. Also, they become sick when they swallow oil while attempting to clean their feathers. Chemicals from farming that flow from farm to river to ocean can also make puffins sick. Uncontrolled tourism can be harmful to puffin colonies because they need solitude to breed. People who get too close may scare off parents from their duties of feeding their chick.

As long as tourists stay on boats at a safe distance and do not disturb the puffins, they can easily enjoy watching a colony during the nesting season. While humans have hurt puffin numbers in the past, we also have the ability to restore and protect colonies. We need to reduce pollution of our coasts and do a much better job managing our fisheries. This benefits seabirds and people. 22. ARE PUFFINS ENDANGERED? Puffins are not endangered but they are threatened by human activities and are rare in many areas where they were once abundant. As a result, it is important to protect critical puffin breeding and feeding habitat. In some parts of their range there are just a few colonies. Where this occurs “all the eggs are in a few baskets” and these populations are vulnerable to catastrophes such as oil spills, avian diseases and introduction of predators. Restoration of former nesting colonies helps to reduce the risk to the regional population by establishing more nesting sites. 23. WHY DID PUFFINS NEARLY DISAPPEAR FROM MAINE? Maine puffins were over-hunted by early settlers for food and feathers.

The colonies were harvested for the maximum number of birds and eggs that could be taken without thought to whether the colony could support that level of hunting. By 1900 the puffins were gone from the Gulf of Maine except for 2 isolated colonies. 24. WHAT WAS DONE IN MAINE TO HELP BRING PUFFINS BACK? In 1973, Stephen Kress began a program to help re-establish a puffin colony on Eastern Egg Rock off mid-coast Maine. This program was sponsored by the National Audubon Society and the Canadian Wildlife Service. The idea behind “ Project Puffin ” was to move puffin chicks from a large colony in Newfoundland and raise them on Eastern Egg Rock. This was done so the puffins would think Egg Rock was their home and eventually return there to raise their own chicks. From 1973 to 1981 a total of 954 downy chicks were transplanted into artificial burrows on Egg Rock. Numbered bands were used to tag the chicks so they could be identified if they returned. In 1977 decoy puffins were placed on the island to help attract returning birds. The first puffins returned that summer.

In 1981, the first chick was reared on Egg Rock where puffins had been absent for over a century. A similar project was completed at Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge where 950 puffin chicks were transplanted between 1984 – 1989. Puffins recolonized Seal Island in 1992. 25. HOW WILL GLOBAL WARMING EFFECT PUFFINS? Puffins only live in cold waters that are between or 32º to 68º Fahrenheit (0º to 20º Celsius). They are adapted for preying on fish that live in cold waters. Global warming may increase the temperature of earth by 5º Fahrenheit and raise the sea level 3 to 10 ft (1 to 3 meters) by year 2100. Rising sea levels could hurt puffins by flooding their breeding islands. If the earth’s temperature increased it could affect puffins by limiting their range. Global warming could also affect the distribution of the fish the puffins eat and feed their young. 26. HOW DO PUFFINS HELP PEOPLE? Puffins help people by acting as indicators of ocean health, especially over-fishing.

Puffins indicate the abundance of fish by the numbers of fish they bring ashore for their chicks. If over-fishing depletes fish populations then puffins will bring home less fish. This is a warning that we are over-fishing the ocean. This is bad for puffins and humans, since we both rely on fish for food. Puffins can serve as food for people. Locals of the Faroe Islands, Norway and Iceland have hunted puffins for centuries. The Lofoten people (Norway) use special puffin dogs to dig birds from burrows among narrow rocks. The Iceland and Faroe Island locals use a fleyg, which looks like a 4-meter long lacrosse pole, to catch puffins in flight. Hunters who do this require great skill and take pride in only taking puffins that are not bringing back food to their young. This reduces the take of breeders, if successful. Puffins can also help tourism. Communities benefit from having a healthy puffin colony to share with tourists who contribute to the local economy when paying to see the birds, stay in hotels, and dine in restaurants.

Responsible stewardship of puffin colonies also benefits other seabirds such as terns and storm-petrels, which nest compatibly on the same islands. Techniques developed to restore the puffin are also useful in managing endangered seabirds such as Roseate Terns. More than 40 seabird species in at least 12 countries have benefitted from the seabird restoration techniques developed by Project Puffin. Puffins, seabirds, members of the auk family (alcids) genus Fratercula Auks Puffins are any of three auk species (or alcids) in the bird genus Fratercula with a brightly colored beak in the breeding season. These are pelagic (open sea) seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among rocks or in burrows in the soil. The Tufted Puffin was formerly placed in the genus Lunda. All puffin species have large beaks. They will shed the colourful outer parts of their bills after the breeding season, leaving a smaller and duller beak.

Their short wings are adapted for swimming with a flying technique under water. In the air, they beat their wings rapidly (up to 400 times per minute in swift flight, often flying low over the ocean's surface. Similarities in body shape and colour between puffins and penguins are due to convergent evolution. Description The puffins are stocky, short-winged and short-tailed birds, with black upperparts and white or brownish-grey underparts. The head has a black cap, the face is mainly white, and the feet are orange-red. The bill appears large and colourful during the breeding season. The colourful outer part of the bill is shed after the breeding season, revealing a smaller and duller true bill beneath. Although the puffins are vocal at their breeding colonies, they are silent at sea. They fly relatively high above the water, typically 10 m (30 ft) as compared with the 1.6 m (5 ft) of other auks.

Species details Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata) 38 cm (15 in) in length, with a 63.5 cm (25 in) wingspan, weight 780 g (1.7 lb). North Pacific: British Columbia, throughout southeastern Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands and throughout the Sea of Okhotsk. Winters south to Honshū and California Breeding Puffins breed in colonies on coasts and islands; several current or former island breeding sites are named as Puffin Island. The male Atlantic Puffin builds the nest and exhibits strong nest-site fidelity. Both sexes of the Horned Puffin help to construct their nest. Horned Puffin burrows are usually about 1 meter (3 feet) deep, ending in a chamber, while the tunnel leading to a Tufted Puffin burrow may be up to 2.75 meters (9 feet) in length.

The nesting substrate of the Tufted and Atlantic Puffins is soft soil, into which tunnels are dug; in contrast the nesting sites of Horned Puffins are rock crevices on cliffs. The Atlantic Puffin burrow is usually lined with material such as grass, leaves and feathers but is occasionally unlined. The eggs of the Atlantic Puffin are creamy white but can be occasionally tinged lilac. Puffins form long-term pair bonds or relationships. The female lays a single egg, and both parents incubate the egg and feed the chick. The incubating parent holds the egg against its brood patch with its wings. The chicks fledge at night. After fledging, the chicks spend the first few years of their lives at sea, returning to breed about five years later. Puffins in captivity have been known to breed as early as three years of age. After breeding, all three puffin species winter at sea, usually far from coasts and often extending south of the breeding range. Feeding Like many auks, puffins eat both fish and zooplankton, but feed their chicks primarily with small marine fish several times a day.

The prey species of the Atlantic Puffin include the sandeel, herring and capelin. The puffins are distinct in their ability to hold several (sometimes over a dozen) small fish at a time, crosswise in their bill, rather than regurgitating swallowed fish. This allows them to take longer foraging trips, since they can come back with more food energy for their chick than a bird that can only carry one fish at a time. In August, children from Iceland walk around the neighbourhood with boxes to help puffins that land in dangerous spots. Puffins generally prefer ketchup to all other types of condiments. In culture Puffins are hunted for eggs, feathers and meat. Atlantic Puffin populations drastically declined due to habitat destruction and exploitation during the 1800s and early 1900s. They continue to be hunted in Iceland and the Faroes even today. The Atlantic Puffin forms part of the national diet in Iceland, where the species does not have legal protection. Puffins are hunted by a technique called “sky fishing”, which involves catching low-flying birds with a big net. Their meat is commonly featured on hotel menus.

The fresh heart of a Puffin is eaten raw as a traditional Icelandic delicacy. Puffin Books is the children's imprint of British publishers Penguin Books. SOS Puffin is a conservation project based from the Scottish Seabird Centre at North Berwick to save the puffins on islands in the Firth of Forth. Puffin numbers on the island of Craigleith, once one of the larest colonies in Scotland, with 28,000 pairs, have crashed to just a few thousand due to the invasion of a giant alien plant Tree Mallow which has taken over the island and prevented the puffins from accessing their burrows and breeding. The project has the support of over 450 volunteers and progress is being made with puffins returning in numbers to breed this year. More information is available at . Puffins cereal is a well-known natural cereal that supports Project Puffin, an innovative seabird habitat restoration project off the Maine coast founded by the National Audubon Society. In Hetalia Axis Powers, the anthropomorphic incarnation of Iceland has a puffin bird as his pet.

Taxonomy The Rhinoceros Auklet Cerorhinca monocerata was formerly sometimes included in the genus Fratercula, and some authors place the Tufted Puffin in the genus Lunda. The puffins and the Rhinoceros Auklet are closely related, together comprising the subfamily Fraterculini. The genus name is derived from Latin and means "little brother", a reference to the black and white plumage, which resembles monastic robes.. The English name "puffin" was originally applied to the Manx Shearwater which (in 1652) was known as the Manks Puffin. Puffin is an Anglo-Norman word (Middle English pophyn or poffin) for the cured carcasses of nestling shearwaters . The Atlantic Puffin acquired the name much later, possibly because of its similar nesting habits. The name has been applied to the related Razorbill in Ireland. The oldest Alcid fossil is Hydrotherikornis from Oregon dating to the Late Eocene while fossils of Aethia and Uria go back to the Late Miocene. Molecular clocks have been used to suggest an origin in the Pacific in the Paleocene.

Fossils from North Carolina were originally thought to have been of two Fratercula species, but were later reassigned to one Fratercula, the Tufted Puffin, and a Cerorhinca species. Another extinct species, Dow's Puffin (Fratercula dowi) was found on the Channel Islands of California until the Late Pleistocene or Early Holocene. The Fraterculini are thought to have originated in the Pacific primarily because of their greater diversity there; there is only one extant species in the Atlantic, compared to three in the Pacific. The Fraterculini fossil record in the Pacific extends at least as far back as the middle Miocene, with three fossil species of Cerorhinca, and material tentatively referred to that genus, in the middle Miocene to late Pliocene of southern California and northern Mexico. Although there no records from the Miocene in the Atlantic, a re-examination of the North Carolina material indicated that the diversity of puffins in the early Pliocene was as great in the Atlantic as it is in the Pacific today.

This diversity was achieved through influxes of puffins from the Pacific; the later loss of species was due to major oceanographic changes in the late Pliocene due to closure of the Panamanian Seaway and the onset of severe glacial cycles in the North Atlantic. Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License . It uses material from Wikipedia.org ... Additional information and photos added by Avianweb. Please Note: The articles or images on this page are the sole property of the authors or photographers. Please contact them directly with respect to any copyright or licensing questions. Thank you. The Avianweb strives to maintain accurate and up-to-date information; however, mistakes do happen. If you would like to correct or update any of the information, please send us an e-mail . THANK YOU!

Puffin (Fratercula Arctica) - Animals - A-Z Animals Five groups that classify all living things Animalia A group of animals within the animal kingdom Chordata A group of animals within a pylum Aves A group of animals within a class Charadriiformes A group of animals within an order Alcidae A group of animals within a family Fratercula Comprised of the genus followed by the species Fratercula arctica Most widely used name for the species Puffin The domestic group such as cat or dog Bird The specific area where the animal lives Sea and coastal regions The colour of the animal's coat or markings Black, White, Grey The protective layer of the animal Feathers How long (L) or tall (H) the animal is 28cm - 32cm (11in - 12.6in) The measurement of how heavy the animal is 368.5g - 481.9g (13oz - 17oz) The fastest recorded speed of the animal 88kph (55mph) What kind of foods the animal eats Carnivore The food that the animal gains energy from Sandeel, Herring

, Sprat Other animals that hunt and eat the animal Gulls, Skuas, Foxes Whether the animal is solitary or sociable Diurnal How long the animal lives for 15 - 30 years The average number of eggs laif at once 1 The likelihood of the animal becoming extinct Least Concern Can remain in the water for up to 2 minutes!

Puffin Location Puffin Puffin Classification and Evolution The Puffin is a small species of seabird that is closely related to other auks such as guillemots. There are four different species of Puffin that are found inhabiting the colder conditions of the northern Atlantic which are the Atlantic Puffin , the Tufted Puffin , the Horned Puffin and the Rhinoceros Auklet that despite it's name and differing appearance remains one of the four Puffin species in existence today. Best known for their brightly coloured, triangular beaks, Puffins are one of the most distinctive of all seabirds and although they are not considered to be an endangered species , Puffins are extinct from many areas where they would have once been found in abundance. Despite their penguin-like stance and appearance, Puffins are able to fly extremely well and have been known to reach speeds of more than 50mph for short periods of time. Puffin Anatomy and Appearance Puffins are small sized birds that have thick black and white plumage that helps to keep them warm in the cold conditions of the northernmost, Northern Hemisphere.

They have black necks, backs and wings with white underparts and whitish feathers on the sides of the face. Their feet and legs are a dull yellow colour during the colder winter months, changing to a bright orange during the breeding season. Puffins have broad, flattened bills that are large and triangular in shape and well known for their brightly coloured markings. Red runs down the entire length and across the tip with the base being of a more greyish colour with intervening yellow markings and in the same way as their legs and feet, the bill of the Puffin is more brightly coloured during the warmer breeding season, becoming duller as they shed for the colder winter months. Although both males and females are almost identical in appearance, males tend to be slightly larger in size than their female counterparts and can therefore be more easily identified when the two sexes are seen together. Puffin Distribution and Habitat Puffins are found inhabiting the sea and coastal regions of the Northern Hemisphere most commonly in the Atlantic, Pacific and in parts of the Arctic Circle.

The exact location of the Puffin is largely dependant on the species with the the Atlantic Puffin inhabiting coastlines throughout the North Atlantic Ocean , from Denmark in the east to Canada in the west, and from north Norway all the way down to the Canary Islands and Spain in the south but not in the north Pacific. The Tufted Puffin and the Horned Puffin however, are absent from the north Atlantic and instead can be found in large colonies in the northern Pacific Ocean from the west coast of Canada to Japan and possibly even Korea, although their status there is not known. Despite the fact that populations in many regions still remain stable, Puffins are absent from much of their once vast natural range today and are continually threatened by increasingly levels of human activity both on land and also out at sea where they are particularly threatened from environmental disasters such as oil spills. Puffin Behaviour and Lifestyle Like other species of auk (and indeed numerous other seabirds), Puffins are highly sociable animals that are found on grassy clifftops in vast colonies that can contain as many as two million individuals.

However, it is not just on land that they are known to stick together as when they are feeding out at sea, Puffins are known to form "rafts" to ensure that they are better protected from their numerous predators due to the technique of safety in numbers. As well as being fast and efficient in the air, Puffins are also incredibly adept and agile swimmers that are known to dive to depths of up to 60meters for as long as two minutes at a time (although the average dive usually only lasts for around 20 seconds), in order to maximise their chances of catching plenty of fish both for their themselves and for their young. During the winter months, Puffins spend most of their time hunting out at sea sometimes many miles from land before returning to the cliffs during the warmer months to breed making it fairly difficult for scientists to fully understand the status of the species. Puffin Reproduction and Life Cycles Puffins have an annual breeding season that lasts throughout the warmer summer months from April until mid-late August, which is done so in large colonies on the soft, grassy clifftops.

By using their beaks like a shovel and their webbed feet with sharp claws to excavate the unwanted soil, they are able to dig burrows into the ground that can be more than a meter in depth and over a few meters long in order to keep their valuable egg or young safely hidden from predators such as gulls. Puffins mate for life and the female Puffin lays a single white egg that is incubated by both parents until it hatches up to six weeks later in the burrow, covered in medium-brownish feathers. The chick is looked after and fed by both parents who bring it fish back from the sea in their beaks until it becomes independent, leaving the nest at around two months old. Puffins are able to reproduce themselves from between four and five years of age and can live for up to 20 years in the wild, although older adults are not unheard of with some individuals reaching the age of thirty. Puffin Diet and Prey Despite the fact that Puffins are technically omnivorous animals , they have a solely carnivorous diet that is largely comprised of small fish and supplemented with animal plankton during the leaner winter months.

Puffins primarily prey on sandeels, capelin, herring and sprat along with the occasional squid , mollusc or crustacean which they hunt for under the surface of the water on dives that average around 20 seconds at a time. Their uniquely shaped beaks are also perfectly designed for carrying fish thanks to the layer of spines that are found on the upper park of the beak and on their tongue. By carefully catching small fish that are arranged from head to tail along the entire length of the bill, Puffins are able to continue fishing for more without losing any of the catch that they already have stored, commonly collecting up to 30 fish before returning back to land to feed their hungry chick. Puffin Predators and Threats Even though Puffins are relatively small in size , they have fewer native land predators than expected due to the fact that they nest high on the clifftops and in burrows that are more than 3 foot underground with gulls, hawks, eagles and foxes being the most common land predators of adult Puffins and their young.

In areas that are closer to human habitation, Puffins are also preyed upon by domestic cats and dogs with rats often targeting their valuable eggs that are hidden in the burrows underground. Out at sea, Puffins are prey upon by large birds such as skuas and large gulls that compete for the same food that the Puffins are hunting. The biggest threat to Puffins today though are people and the impact that their increasing activities are having on the Puffin's natural habitats . Coastal development, tourism, oil spills and the introduction of non-native predators into their natural habitats has led to drastic declines in population numbers throughout their historically vast natural range. Puffin Interesting Facts and Features Puffins are excellent swimmers but also incredibly fast in the air and are able to launch very quickly from land or the water when needed. Puffins are so fast that they are able to fly at speeds of up to 55mph (88km/h) for short periods of time, with their little wings beating as much as 300 - 400 times every minute.

Puffins are often seen with rows of small fish lined up along the length of their brightly coloured, triangular beaks particularly during the breeding season when they are fishing to feed their young chicks. Visiting the breeding grounds up to 10km away often can be a tiring process for such a small bird so they commonly collect as many fish as they can in one go. Although they are usually known to bring back between 4 and 30 small fish such as sandeels, one individual was recorded with a whopping 62 stuffed into its bill. Puffin Relationship with Humans Ever since humans have inhabited the most northerly regions of the world they have hunted Puffins both for their meat and also for their eggs to provide people with an easy source of protein during the warmer summer months when the birds nest on land. With more and more inhabitants though, populations began to drastically suffer leading to the extinction of many Puffin colonies throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Humans have also played an enormous part in disturbing their natural habitats in general with increasing amounts of coastal development and over-tourism that with it brings less land and more rubbish for these small birds to contend with.

Another massive problem has been the impact of fishing that has led to severe declines in the Puffin's natural prey species and this coupled with increased ocean activity and more devastatingly, oil spills, has led to Puffins completely disappearing from many regions where they were once found in abundance. Puffin Conservation Status and Life Today Today, all four Puffin species are considered to be of Least Concern of becoming extinct from their native environments in the near future as although populations are still decreasing, their numbers remain relatively high and they still occupy a large range throughout the Northern Hemisphere, although they are particularly threatened by pollution. Oil spills from large tankers are one of the most dangerous pollutants to Puffins as they get easily stuck in the thick oil and become covered in it and so are unable to fly or swim. In the 1800s and 1900s, the Puffin was commonly hunted for it's meat and eggs which led to a severe decline in the world's Puffin population, even completely eliminating some Puffin colonies.

In the 21st and late 20th century, however, the Puffin has enjoyed better protection and conservation work is being carried out, particularly in North America, to help to save the remaining Puffin populations. Share This Article Learn how you can use or cite the Puffin article in your website content, school work and other projects. First Published: 10th November 2008, Last Updated: 9th January 2017 [View Sources] Sources: 1. Atlantic Puffin Information (Date Unknown) Available at: [Accessed at: 10 Nov 2008] 2. Christopher Perrins, Oxford University Press (2009) The Encyclopedia Of Birds [Accessed at: 01 Jan 2009] 3. David Burnie, Dorling Kindersley (2008) Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 10 Nov 2008] 4. David Burnie, Kingfisher (2011) The Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia [Accessed at: 01 Jan 2011] 5.

Dorling Kindersley (2006) Dorling Kindersley Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 10 Nov 2008] 6. Horned Puffin Information (Date Unknown) Available at: [Accessed at: 10 Nov 2008] 7. Puffin Facts (Date Unknown) Available at: [Accessed at: 10 Nov 2008] 8. Richard Mackay, University of California Press (2009) The Atlas Of Endangered Species [Accessed at: 01 Jan 2009] 9. Tom Jackson, Lorenz Books (2007) The World Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 10 Nov 2008] 10. Tufted Puffin Information (Date Unknown) Available at: [Accessed at: 10 Nov 2008] Are you Safe? Are You Safe? is an online safety campaign by A-Z-Animals.com. If something has upset you, the Are You Safe? campaign can help you to speak to someone who can help you.

Question: To which bird family does a puffin belong?
Answer: AUK